Ca Mau is on the southern most tip of Vietnam .120 SW of there is the Gulf of Thailand

No MAS 777 flying
 

@camber - you can't have looked far. For example, MAS151 another 777-200 is nearing KL from Jeddah right now. Another one, MAS72, is half way to Hong Kong.

Location of "Signal"
 

DN88,

The location of the supposed "signal" is only strange if you assume that the airline's statement that they lost radar contact with the plane two hours into the flight is accurate. Publicly available radar information shows the plane disappear from radar at 17:19 UTC after departing at 16:43 UTC.

The place where it disappeared from radar corresponds fairly well with the location of the supposed "signal."

Frankly, I don't know what this signal is supposed to be. The last radar signal? If so, the area is right. The ELT? Not likely to be heard from the bottom of the ocean, is it? The pinger on the black box? Has anybody really gotten the right equipment to hear that into the crash area? If so, that's great. But, for now, until I hear a report that clearly states what is being discussed, I'm taking the report of signal with several grains of salt.

I do wonder, if urthecast (in conjunction with NASA) could assist here. They have a live feed on the ISS (International Space Station) and this is soon to go live to the public, however it is currently live to them only while they fine tune the systems as they are going to be broadcasting this live on TV next weekend.

I digress. The ISS circles the earth every 90 minutes, and this camera can scan 90% of the earth in this time. Only parts it can't get are the poles. It is 1M resolution so can zoom in very close to earth, so much that it can see vehicles moving on the streets and pedestrians walking along the pavements.

If they have scanned this area (if they have this switched on), then perhaps this is data which could assist the NTSB and other SAR teams.

Very unlikely scenario but still. North Korea tested a missle which came close to a Chinese aircraft two days ago.

North Korea Missiles Passed Near China Southern Passenger Jet - WSJ.com

the speculation on CNN and on this site as to where the aircraft disappeared could be helped if the flight plan and its last reporting point was released. I've heard everything from East of Koto to North of Danang :ugh:

I think we have to assume that the FlightAware data with the last position 20 minutes after takeoff is incomplete for some reason. FlightRadar (tweet) shows it getting to at least the position 120 miles southwest of Ca Nau that has been reported elsewhere as a "signal".

Vietnamese authorities now say the reports a signal had been detected were false. “We have been seeking but no signal from the plane yet,” Pham Hien, director of a Vietnam maritime search and rescue co-ordination centre in Vung Tau, told Reuters. “The information on local media about the signal near the Cape Ca Mau was inaccurate,” Pham said.

<From The Guardian>

Can confirm MAS 777s are flying right now.

How did that individual obtain the manifest?

You all may remember me as the meteorologist who worked up the case study on Air France 447 several years ago. I took a look at the data and as far as I can determine, the last ADS-B position was at N6.80 E103.52, 2014-03-07 17:21, with the plane flying at FL350 and with a TAS of 474 kt.

Unfortunately with it being night, we don't have the best satellite imagery to work with, but the 10.8 micron infrared is shown below, with the flight track superimposed. Looks like mostly clear skies with thin cirrus debris at FL400-500. The animation showed weakening of this cloud field. So it's very unlikely that weather was a factor. Flight level winds would have been roughly 010/15, and with only marginal instability it looks like it would have been a smooth ride.

http://i.imgur.com/IDDXTBY.jpg

I would plot out the whole intended route, but I don't have the information and I don't have good charts of the RNAV structure over Vietnam. However the weather across Vietnam and north to Hong Kong looked VFR all the way.

Looking at other flights crossing between Malaysia and Vietnam I saw no interruption of their ADS-B data. Unless there was a problem with the transponder or a FIR handoff it appears the plane may have actually gone down at this spot. If worse comes to worse, that area is on the continental shelf and in only 150 ft of water and it doesn't get much deeper, so if the plane was lost and the CVR/FDR is down there, it should be nothing like the AF447 search.

Yea, I found it kinda odd that they disclosed all the passengers' information, even the number of the identification document and the date of birth when all the passengers still haven 't been confirmed dead:ooh:

Beijing airport published the passengerlist by showing a print. Have seen photos now at websites and Twitter. Seems common in Asia.
Sad photos of shocked relatives at Beijing airport

4.7073,102.5278 is NE of KL, still in Malaysia...

Yahoo singapore reports what we feared at post number 1
Vietnam media quote Navy Admiral Ngo Van Phat saying military radar recorded #MH370 crashing into sea 153 miles south of Phu Quoc island

Also other media reports
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/18157/...-airspace-caav
And
http://my.news.yahoo.com/mas-aircraf...023820132.html

Yahoo Singapore's twitter reports wreckage has been found in ocean.

All sorts of reports going round though... so not sure how credible.

Article says Vietnam Navy confirms crash

Vietnam Navy says Malaysia Airlines plane crashes off Tho Chu Island | Tu?i Tr? news

Regarding publication of names and details:

Yes, unlike in the United States, in most countries the media immediately publishes the graphic gruesome details including high quality video and photography of any tragic event. That is, unless it would have a political effect. I find that quality refreshing, in a twisted sort of way.

I saw a flight track somebody posted on FB with that position but that would be 40 minutes and not 2 hours as they are reporting:confused:

Regret to announce....
 

BREAKING: "Vietnamese Navy has confirmed the plane crashed into the ocean."

Source: Vietnam media: Navy confirms flight MH370 crashed into the sea #MalaysiaAirlines #MH370